Pizza Port Hop 15

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Marcos, California USA

(Tap): A lively, earthy hop mist hovers in the lushest of botanical gardens…Hefty sucre à la crème sweetness characterizes its unique, rich soil where the adamant fruitiness of oranges and peaches, amongst many others, serves as a pedestal for the 16 (yes, 16) hop varieties growing in this wealthy but peaceful jungle…As if this paradise weren’t enticing enough, it is also a silver-tongued behemoth as none of its 16 hop varieties are even close to being muddled…A master is at work here folks and he’s not living above the clouds…Thanks Tomme for the pint!!!…

A young 2005 bottle proved to be even more succulent (if at all possible), giving luxurious, thick malts, as complex as the hopfest which grows within...Absolutely gorgeous in every way, another PP Solana masterpiece...In fact, all bottles I’ve had of this so far have been fantastic, whatever the vintage...Hop heaven!!

Bottle courtesy of Dark Elf. Pours copper with a thin white head. Smells of flowers, biscuits, roses, some citrus. Taste combines resiny bitterness and orange sweetness with a dry malt character. Alcohol is well hidden. Good, but I don’t get the inflated scores on this one.

Bottled. Amber coloured. Hazy. Off white fluffy head. Sweetness, pine, herbs, spice, citrus and caramel in the aroma. Flavour of pine herbs, flowers, light grape, spice and light alcohol. Full bodied. Very dry. Heavy bitter end with a spicy and acidic touch. Intense alcoholwarmth on lips and palate. Very refreshing and matches my Chili con Carne perfectly.

22 oz bottle. Deep amber beer. Aroma is very hoppy. Citrus, pine and a musky cologne-like dankness. Fruity citrus and even some light blackberry/cherry character as well. Quite piny and resinous but there is still a fairly malty aroma behind all of the massive hoppiness. Flavour is initially sweet and a little bit sticky. As it warms it becomes quite peppery and a little bit spicy. Pithy bitterness and a long very green hoppy bitterness. It’s okay, but it is very hot and boozy which distracts quite a bit from the hoppiness. It doesn’t really do it for me.

Bottle, 22oz. Shared by tarjei. A hazy, orange beer with a small, dense, beige head. The aroma has pinecones, some citrus, resin and a malty sweetness giving some beefstock. Piney and resiny flavor, really bitter, and lasting for a long time. Warming and full-bodied. I find the beer a bit too intense on bitterness and alcohol warmth, slightly unbalanced, still it’s a quite delicious beer. And I probably shouldn’t complain over balance problems with a beer like this. (090508)

GABF 2004 - Hints of bubble gum in a very creamy and thick hop nose... smooth aroma, if that’s a proper description. Thick and active, fizzy perhaps, but not thin. Sweet creamy citrus sweet mandarin orange hop flavors, soothing thickness and surprisingly not aggressive on the tongue but still very full of hops. An absolutely awesome brew by Pizza Port.

Bottle, September 2008: something around 3.7-4

Wonderful hop bomb for a hop head like yours truly. The body’s orange/copper and it has a frothy off-white head. I got a big hit of sharp pine needles followed rapidly by grapefruit, earth, pineapple, and zest of lemon. Delighted by the hops, I still managed to pick up a sweet maltiness in the flavor, smooth, but soon buried under heaps of hops, causing me to split my lips whilst grinning ear to ear. The finish is dry and profoundly bitter, the pine in the forefront. Great beer!

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Lord Day 2007 at Three Floyds, Munster, IN, 4/28/2007.<font size=-1>

March Tosa Tasting ala JCapriotti. Slightly hazed amber color with a moderate beige. head. Small amount of lace. Orange citrus and acidic pine aromas fill the room. Full and chewy palate, but still a touch of acidic bite on the tongue. Sweet lightly smoky malt with a continued bite/balance of pine and citrus. Certainly did not detect the strength of this one. A very interesting brew.